Salt River project approved for Coastal Commission permit; Congressman Thompson and former Supervisor Smith honored for dedication to restoration plan

Supporters of the Salt River project gathered Saturday in Ferndale to honor former District Supervisor Jimmy Smith and Congressman Mike Thompson for their commitment to the ambitious project nearly 30 years in the making.

Smith, along with Humboldt Country Resource Conservation District Executive Director Donna Chambers, announced at the gathering that the project -- which would see a tributary of the lower Eel River rebuilt -- had been approved for a California Coastal Commission permit. Large-scale construction on the first phase of the project is expected to begin in 2013.

HCRCD Watershed Coordinator Doreen Hansen said Saturday's celebration was all about thanking Smith and Thompson for helping the project get so far.

"This has been such a long process, and both of these folks have been here supporting it from the beginning," she said.

Thompson and Smith -- along with local, state and federal agencies -- have been working on the project for decades. The project seeks to restore the Salt River channel, floodplain and marshland with the intention of reducing flooding, improving the Ferndale wastewater plant and reintroducing historical salmon runs. Although the project has had its share of controversy over the years, its most recent snag came when the HCRCD -- the organization that oversees the Salt River project -- found itself unable to reach an agreement with one of the 40 landowners whose participation is required to obtain a California Coastal permit. Hansen said, thanks in part to the efforts of Smith and Thompson, the HCRCD was able to negotiate with land owners and work around the disagreement. On Friday, the California Coastal Commission informed the HCRCD that the project had been approved for the coastal permit, clearing the way to begin groundbreaking.

At Saturday's gathering, Smith said there were many people who deserved thanks.

"I am here to thank everyone who worked so hard to make the sparks happen to get this project going," he said. "This project is moving forward because of the tenacity and sacrifice of the members of this community."

California State Coastal Conservancy Project Manager Michael Bowen said Smith, despite his modesty, deserved a large share of the credit for the project's recent success.

"No project like this gets very far without a quarterback and Supervisor Smith has been that person for this project," he said. "He has been an untiring champion and such a gentleman every step of the way. He has delivered something to his district that is seemingly impossible and unthinkably wonderful."

Landowner Dianna Richardson and her husband have lived on a one-acre lot that falls inside the project boundaries for the past 41 years. Richardson said she can't wait to see construction begin on the project. The Salt River -- upon which sailing vessels once traveled -- is now not much more than a willow-choked ditch filled with silt, she said.

"The silt prevents water from draining," she said. "So my home has standing water under it six to eight months out of the year."

Richardson said she hopes the restoration project will help the drainage problem, not just on her land, but on that of the neighboring dairy farms. Landowners on hundreds of acres have experienced persistent flooding due to the clogged river, which has even interfered with the proper disposal of Ferndale's wastewater. Project supporters hope restoring the river will result in reduced flooding, increasing the amount of usable agriculture land along the river.

"Getting this project done is not as important to me as it is to some of my neighbors whose livelihoods depend on their agricultural land," Richardson said. "I think we are all ready to see this project happen."

Although Thompson's tenure representing the North Coast will soon draw to a close, the congressman said he would continue to follow the Salt River project.

"Over the years, I have been able to come up here, and I have gotten to know the folks involved in this project," Thompson said. "That is what this is about. It is not about the individuals here today -- it is about celebrating the community coming together. I am glad we are here, and I am glad we are finally going to get the Salt River project done."